Monthly Archives: May 2005

If you’ve ever done a workshop or an awayday with me, it’s highly likely that you’ll have played “Same or Different” It’s a generic classification game we play about all sorts of subjects to clarify how people think about a particular question.

Same or Different is at the base of all sorts of things we do in the knowledge economy. We’re always asking, is this thing the same as this other thing or is it different? And the answers is usually, it’s both, they’re the same in these ways and they’re different in others.

In restructuring an organisation or setting up a project, which bits go together and which bits are apart? How is that sameness actually manifested in people’s day to day activities? What does it mean to be different? Under what circumstances might it change?

What happens when people disagree about sameness or difference? What happens when I think I’m the same as you but you think we’re different? How might I convince you of my point of view? Do I need to? Is it important? Should I just accept that we differ on this point?

I blog. Perhaps you do too. You may consider my blog to be the same as yours. I might agree. Or disagree. Other people might lump us together – we might be the only ones who perceive sufficient difference for it to matter.

I podcast. Perhaps you do too. You may consider my podcast to be the same as yours. I might agree. Or disagree. Other people might lump us together – we might be the only ones who perceive sufficient difference for it to matter.

So you might say, “What does it matter? We’re similar – isn’t that enough? Surely that’s a much better way of putting it?”

To me settling for saying “similar” avoids asking (and answering) the important questions, it’s hiding in vagueness. It might be the best and most accurate answer in the end, but it’s not nearly as productive as delving deeper in to sameness and difference.

As I temporarily don’t have broadband access outside of office hours, and because by brain has been very focused on Public Service Conversations I haven’t been here since Friday and although I have an audioblog in the can for today I have come out without the necessary cables to upload. Ah me.

Talking about umbrella loss and other irrelevant minutiae, an update on Public Service Conversations and my decision to move it over to Movable Type and start to tell you about my syndication idea but leave you hanging as I have to sprint to leap aboard the 08:22 to Waterloo.

Update: ooops just found my umbrella at the bottom of my bag sorry family for defaming you.

That’s what Thomas believes and I think it’s certainly worth a try. But then as one of the early contributors, I would wouldn’t I?

Meet the sushradio gang – they’re German, Geeky (in a Good way) and errr… they’re…. a Gang (and they’re all so good looking). I’m really looking forward to hearing something from bicyclemark there but it’s really easy to make something suitable, it just has to be 3-6 minutes long and have interesting information about someplace anywhere in the world – how hard can that be? Go on, have a go yourself – you can send links to your 3 minute tidbits for the ears to sushiradiomail@gmail.com.

I’ve resolved to make my next contribution shorter and louder (well my voice, anyway) but no less informative. I’ll let you know when it’s done.

I'm the founder of the Tuttle Club and fascinated by organisation. I enjoy making social art and building communities, if you'd like some help from me feel free to e-mail me: Lloyd dot Davis at Gmail dot Com or call +44 (0)79191 82825